Those That Make Peaceful Revolution Inevitable

“Those that make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.” President John F. Kennedy understood the importance of nonviolent protest as a vital component in a democracy. From the founders and the philosophy that went into our founding documents to this very day we can see that peaceful demonstrations against unjust laws or governmental actions have brought about great change and ultimately a healthier climate in society. Peaceful resistance to laws demonstrates the strength of a free society in that the government responds to such protests and that the people do not jump immediately to violence. One of the primary reasons the founders decided to separate from Great Britain was because of their lack of a voice in British government. The British Parliament and King oppressed the colonies with taxes and laws that the colonists had to comply with without having any representation. The rallying cry of many of the colonists was "No taxation without representation!" Colonists sought out peaceful ways to bring about change, and only turned to violence when they felt there was no other option. The violent rebellion was not merely on a whim of the Continental Congress, as
As more and more groups receive full recognition of their rights, we grow as a society to be “a more perfect union” as promised by the Constitution’s framers. Dr. King mentions this in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” where he says of African Americans, "Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro. Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom, and something without has reminded him that it can be